RED BELL PEPPER & TOMATO CHUTNEY

RED BELL PEPPER & TOMATO CHUTNEY

Not only is it so attractive to look at, but Red Bell Pepper ( popularly also known as Capsicum in India) has many health benefits. It has the highest amount of Vitamin C amongst bell peppers. The carotenoids in the red bell peppers provide you with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

I was looking for a new recipe to use some lovely red bell peppers that I had bought. I found the perfect one in Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Chutney in the popular blog, Sailu's Food from where I have adapted this recipe.

We had this with idlis and it tasted great.

Ingredients:

• Large- Sized Red Bell Pepper, 1
• Large-Sized Tomatoes, 2 
• Bengal Gram (Chana Dal), 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 2
• Slit Green Chilli, 1
• Cumin Seeds, (Jeera) 1 tsp
• Coriander Leaves, chopped, 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp 

For seasoning:

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, 8-10
• Asafoetida,(Hing) a pinch
• Oil, 1 tsp 

Method:

Wash and chop the red bell pepper
Wash and chop the tomatoes

In a non-stick kadhai, heat 1 tsp of oil and when it gets hot, lower the flame and add chana dal, cumin seeds and red chillies. Saute till the dal changes colour and becomes a golden brown, and the red chillies become crisp.

To this add the slit green chilli and the chopped coriander leaves and saute for a couple of minutes till the spots appear on the green chilli. Transfer the contents of the kadhai to a dish and allow it to cool.

In the same kadhai, add 2 tsp of oil and when it gets hot add the red bell pepper pieces and saute for 4-5 minutes.
Next, add the chopped tomatoes and saute for 8-10 minutes on low/ medium flame. When the tomatoes become soft, switch off the gas and allow it to cool.

In a mixer jar, first grind the dal-chillies and coriander leaves mixture till they get properly crushed
To this add the sauteed and cooled red bell pepper and tomato mixture along with salt
Grind this to a smooth paste without adding any water
Transfer the ground chutney to a bowl

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the curry leaves, and asafoetida. Saute for a few seconds, switch off the gas and pour this seasoning over the chutney

Serve the Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Chutney as an accompaniment for idlis, dosas etc.